my axle comes out of the diff easily

[desertKAdrifter]

i went and took out my spare diff from the garage to get it welded and i notice the axle gear pulled out of the diff when i tried to pick it up. is this normal or did i lose a shim inside the diff.

[jr_ss]

Perhaps it had been pulled before and never "locked" back in? There's usually a clip that locks onto the end of it and you need a pry bar to pop it out.

[az_240]

If you mean the output shafts coming out the sides of the diff then you may be missing the C clips that go on the ends of them.